The magic apocalypse came and went, leaving magic all but completely useless... except to a few. Those few, called Soul Complements, can still "break magic", casting the kind of powerful magic that is now impossible for so many others. Shame and Terric are Soul Complements, where Shame wields Death magic and Terric wields the counterpart, Life magic. Shame has been letting Terric bear their supposedly shared burden as Head of the Authority in Portland but circumstances have changed now that someone is actively seeking out Soul Complements. Will Shame and Terric find the necessary balance between their magics in order to save both themselves and their friends?

I love the magical world that Devon Monk has created! In fact, HELL BENT is the first in a new series that spins off of the Allie Beckstrom series and is based on the aftereffects of the conclusion of that series. HELL BENT is meant to stand on its own merits and overall does a very good job of doing so. However, there were repeated references to events and people from the other series that made me wish I had read that series first. Needless to say, that series is now on my to-be-read pile as I want to see what the magical world was like before the magic apocalypse!

Shame is an odd but likable choice for a hero. His stubbornness is both a charm and an asset and I like how he and Terric play off of one another, with Terric being the responsible one and Shame bound and determined to be the irresponsible one. Shame consistently whines, drinks, and dumps off responsibility for a good part of HELL BENT... and yet I like him and his sardonic sense of humor! Devon Monk does a great job at showing how much he cares for his friends beneath that blasé façade.

HELL BENT leaves several loose ends, making me excited to see the second book should be out soon. HELL BENT is dark, gritty, and sarcastic- what a great new urban fantasy series and easily recommended!